Delicious Indian Gulab Jamun Recipe

1. In a deep pan, mix the water and sugar and boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and add the cardamom powder and rose water. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix the powdered milk, flour, and baking powder well.
3. Add a little of the thickened cream at a time and knead to make a dough that is medium-soft but not sticky. You do not need to use all the cream, just enough to reach the desired consistency. The success of this dessert depends almost entirely on how well you knead the dough and the smoother it is, the better.

1. Once the dough is ready, divide it into walnut-sized balls and roll between lightly greased palms until smooth. Any cracks will show up get worse later and could lead to the "milk balls" cracking as they are fried. This is not desirable, so take all the time you need for this step in order to get it right.
2. While you are making the balls, heat the oil for deep frying in a wide pan on low to medium heat.
3. Fry the dumplings, stirring often to brown on all sides. Do not cook on very high heat as the dumplings will burn on the outside and remain raw inside.
4. Once cooked, drain with a slotted spoon while removing the dumplings from the oil and transfer immediately into the rose syrup.
5. Repeat this until all the dumplings are cooked and in the syrup.
6. Allow the dumplings to soak in the syrup for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Serving Suggestions

There are many ways that you can enjoy gulab jamun. They are delicious on their own when drained from the syrup and it's common to roll them in desiccated coconut. You can also serve them directly in the syrup.

Warm gulab jamuns are fantastic when topped with ice cream or a thick cream. You can also garnish them with shavings of dried fruit like pistachio and add a sprinkling of almonds if you wish.